Everything We Know About CNN+ So Far - Launch Date, Subscription Price, Programming, and More

Launching this Spring, CNN fans will finally be able to stream on CNN+, the newest streaming subscription service that provides up to 12 hours of exclusive live programming every day. The monthly subscription cost is likely to be $5.99. The service will launch in the United States first and will then roll out in other countries later on.

CNN+ announced today that three new shows will be included in its spring slate of original shows and exclusives. The full lineup will be available in the next couple of weeks, including specific time slots and additional information.

• 5 Things: CNN’s most popular newsletter and podcast will expand to a daily morning show with anchor Kate Bolduan presenting the five essential stories that you need to know for the day.
• The Big Picture: Hosted by CNN senior national and international correspondent Sara Sidner, this weekday live show will offer an in-depth contextual look at the top breaking news story of the day. It will also feature reporting from CNN’s reporters, correspondents, anchors, and expert guests.
• Go There: moving from CNN over to the streaming service, the show is hosted by domestic and international correspondents around the world, who report live from the frontlines of breaking news happening across the globe.

The streaming service has a lot of exciting new talent in store. For instance, they have snagged longtime Fox News anchor Chris Wallace who quit the network to join its competitor. CNN says the new program will star newsmakers “across politics, business, sports, and culture.”

Another exciting new host is Audie Cornish, the former co-host of NPR’s “All Things Considered” who will be in charge of a weekly CNN+ show and new CNN Audio podcast that covers national, political, and breaking news.

The CNN anchor, Anderson Cooper, will be getting two shows on CNN+ — “Parental Guidance with Anderson Cooper,” and his current twice-weekly digital show “Anderson Cooper Full Circle” will move over to the new service as well.

If you’re not into politics, CNN+ will also have Scott Galloway, a Professor of Marketing at NYU’s Stern School of Business, hosting a new live show that focuses on business and technology. A cooking show will appear during launch as well, with Alison Roman, a renowned cook and New York Times bestselling author.

Plus, a couple of days ago, the public was informed that CNN+ picked up documentary “The Last Movie Stars” with Ethan Hawke and Martin Scorsese. The doc will be about iconic Hollywood couple Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman.

Other daily programming includes the series, “Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico,” along with long-form programming like “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown” (which, historically, has nearly eight times the normal viewer demand), and “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy”, among other hit series that CNN is most known for. There is a solid demand for “lifestyle-related” content and the company is well aware that this move to streaming will put them back in the game.

Jeff Zucker, the chairman of WarnerMedia News and Sports and president of CNN Worldwide, said in a statement, “On top of a television offering that has never been stronger, which remains at the core of what we do today, we will offer consumers a streaming product that grows the reach and scope of the CNN brand in a way that no one else is doing. Nothing like this exists.”

CNN is one of the largest news operations in the world, with about 4,000 employees. CNN+, chief digital officer Andrew Morse reported that the company is hiring approximately 450 people for CNN+. He also argued that other broadcast networks “lack the resources” to own a platform as ambitious as CNN+.

Rivals include Fox News, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, but nothing compares to what CNN+ will offer in the marketplace. Morse said, “we think, given our brand reach; given our credibility; given our trust; given the fact that we reach 290 million across linear and digital platforms globally, that there’s a really substantial audience opportunity for us.” Perhaps the closest streaming competitor is Fox Nation, but the target audiences are completely different.

CNN finished 2021 with its second-most-watched year ever, as a top-five network in all of cable in all dayparts.

Although cable and satellite aren’t gone just yet, CNN is taking the necessary steps for the future of broadcast.